A Look Into the Future
by Sooty Wing
Summary: A look ten years in the future of our favorite cursed family. Each chapter will have a different outcome. Chapter 1 features Kisa, chapter 2 features Ayame, and 3 features Kagura.
1. Kisa

Title: A Look Into the Future

Summary: A look into the possible future (10 years) of our favorite cursed family. Chapter 1: Kisa

Rating: G

Warnings: There may be slight manga spoilers, though at the moment, none that I know of. Also, very very slight Hiro/Kisa.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket but it is on my Christmas wish list.

Note: If I continue this, each outcome will be different. For example, if you absolutely love Kyo/Tohru, but one chapter is Yuki/Tohru, swing by another time and there will probably be various pairings and such.

Kisa shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the awkward silence just got longer and longer. The editor was rereading her manuscript for the second time, and looked like someone had smacked him over the back of the head. She had forgotten his name, or maybe he never said, but in her mind she simply called him _Seiuchi_. Kisa finally decided to say something as the editor started reading it a third time.

"Do you…do you like it?" She asked softly, holding her breath and praying that it was good enough.

"Like it?" the editor thundered. Kisa winced a little at the volume of his voice; even after all this time she hated loud noises. "Sohma-san, I love it! You will be the next great author, known throughout all of Japan!"

Kisa exhaled gratefully and allowed herself to smile a little. She had spent two years writing it, and when she was finished, bashfully presented it to Shigure, asking if he would edit it. Shigure had been bursting with pride that he had "inspired another writer destined for greatness!" and Kisa didn't have the heart to tell him it was actually Tohru that inspired her. Much to Kisa's embarrassment, Shigure called every one of the relatives and Ayame decided a party was in order.

Despite her protests of "But it hasn't been published," and "It's not that good…", the entire family was proud of their shy little Kisa coming out with a book. Hiro's little sister had even started calling her 'sensei'.

It was finally Hiro and Hatori alternately nagging Shigure, or in Hiro's case, threatening him, and in Hatori's, lecturing him, that made him contact his publishing company and various editors.

Kisa was very grateful of course, but was more than a little intimidated by the big, boisterous man that Shigure sent her to in Tokyo. Thank goodness for Hiro.

"Really?" Kisa asked, hoping against all hope that this man was going to agree to publish her book.

"But of course, m'girl, but of course!" Seiuchi beamed. "It's obvious to see you're related to Sohma Shigure! Why, his talent must have rubbed off on you!" In a way, he reminded her a little bit of Ayame, though Aya himself would scoff at the idea of being anything like this big man. "I'll have it published as soon as I can!"

Kisa smiled, and pushed a strand of amber hair back. She stood up and bowed. "Thank you, sir, thank you very much!"

"Nonsense!" He said, waving his hand, "It's you that wrote it, not me! Now, off you go, I'll contact you when it's edited and ready and you'll tell me exactly what you think of it then!"

Kisa bowed again, and walked as calmly as she could out of his office. In the little waiting room, an old woman was knitting casually and Hiro was pacing impatiently. He looked up when she entered and asked anxiously, "Well, how'd it go!" Instead of answering directly, Kisa's face lit up and she embraced Hiro tightly. And that was all the answer he needed.

Eight months later the novel _Cursed_, a story about a young girl who stumbled upon a family's terrible secret, became one of Japan's bestsellers.

A/N: Okay, for my non-Japanese familiar readers, I have arranged this:

_Seiuchi_: walrus in Japanese

"_Sohma Shigure…Sohma Kisa"_: In Japan, last names come first.

_Sohma-san_: A polite and formal honorific, basically the equivalent of Miss Sohma

"_Hiro's little sister…"_: In the 10th or 11th volume, we discover Hiro's mom is pregnant and because this takes place ten years in the future, Hiro has a little brother or sister. I made it sister for this story.

_Sensei_: Literally means teacher or master, though it's also used for certain professions. In the mangas, Shigure is referred to as 'sensei' by several people.

"_She stood up and bowed…"_: Common courtesy in Japan to bow.

Please review and if you have not already, read the note at the beginning.


	2. Ayame

Title: A Look Into the Future

Summary: A look into the possible future (10 years) of our favorite cursed family. Chapter 2: Ayame

Rating: G

Warnings: Possible manga spoilers, a bit of Ritsu/Mitchan

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket…I didn't get it for Christmas either.

Note: If I continue this, each outcome will be different. For example, if you absolutely love Kyo/Tohru, but one chapter is Yuki/Tohru, swing by another time and there will probably be various pairings and such.

AyaAyaAya

"Well, Gure-san, wasn't it amazing?"

"Of course, when isn't it? Come to think of it, when aren't you?"

"True."

"Anyway, Aya, I'm afraid I must leave you. The children return. Remember me!"

"Farewell Gure-san." Ayame hung up the phone with a satisfied click. Shigure could always keep him cheerful. And although the "children" he spoke of were no longer children anymore, Aya understood what 'Gure meant. Besides, admitting that the babies of the zodiac were all grown up, meant admitting that Mabudachi trio were getting _old. _Perish the thought.

Ayame had just given Shigure a brand-new, just-in, American film to watch. Of course, neither of them understood anything (though it seemed to be a dramatic love story) because both of them had decided to take French class while Hatori (being the responsible one) took English, which was probably why Hatori refused to watch it. But the main thing about the movie was not the actors or the plotline…it was the clothes.

Ever since Ayame's assistant Mine had opened up a mini-Aya store in California, business had been terrific. True, they had some trouble getting it started and business was awful for a few months until an actress had seen one of the more elaborate dresses and loved it. Soon after, everyone in Hollywood wanted Ayame's dresses and Mine, excited by all the work it meant, needed to have Aya come to California about once every two months and have more dresses shipped over to her.

This newest movie was meant to be old-fashioned, which meant lots of evening gowns and other beautiful dresses. It was the fifth movie that had featured the snake's clothes and he couldn't be prouder.

Ayame hummed happily to himself as he fixed some of his famous tea. He looked up out the window as he waited for the water to boil. Sakura petals drifted by lazily, carried by a warm spring breeze and Aya couldn't help but reflect on the events that had happened…that had changed their lives.

Tohru-kun came. That, alone, was enough to affect them all. She helped open up Yuki and even Mr. Attitude Kyo. She befriended Momiji and Kagura and helped Kisa find her voice. She helped Ayame realize that time is precious and he should try to get closer to his brother. She taught Shigure how to do laundry. Somehow, she sort of helped Hatori heal.

Of course, Akito had gotten in the middle of it all. But now he was lying in a hospital bed in a coma, so what did it matter? No one was quite sure how it happened, one day he just didn't wake up. Ayame chuckled merrily to himself as he recalled the first few weeks. No one had been quite sure what to do. Celebrate? Mourn? Marry? Live? If Akito snapped out of it, he could punish them. But as time went on, it became clearer and clearer that Akito was going to be in that coma for a long time.

Kisa and Hiro were engaged. Kagura mellowed out a bit and stopped chasing Kyo. Uo-chan and Kureno finally hooked up once they got past the complications. Tohru and Yuki began dating (a fact that Kyo despised and he watched her like a protective brother…He was often found hiding in the bushes near their date). Eventually, Hatori and Mayuko started to date (Hatori was reluctant to trust, afraid she would be hurt like Kana). Mayuko, of course, knew about the curse by now (_Naughty, naughty, _as Shigure would say). Haru and Rin resumed dating. Momiji was perfectly content. Shigure published six more best-selling books. All was how it was meant to be.

Oh, and Ritsu was… "Oh NOOOO!"…in the living room, becoming hysterical. "It's okay! Calm DOWN!" To be more accurate, he was with Mii-chan, Shigure's editor, becoming hysterical.

"Now, now, what's all the fuss?" Ayame asked, walking into the room as dramatically as possible. Ritsu was blushing and wringing the sleeve of his kimono nervously and Mii-chan was taking deep breaths in. What a couple.

"Just a broken cup!" Mine chirped cheerfully from the floor, maid outfit and all, sweeping up the remains of what had been Ayame's not-so-fine china. Mine was currently visiting and kindly offered to help with Ritsu and Mii-chan this afternoon.

"I'm…I'm so sorry Aya-nii…." Ritsu gasped from his chair. Although he had mellowed out, around Mii-chan he seemed to become more and more nervous, which meant more and more prone to accidents, which meant more and more hysterical.

"Nonsense." Ayame waved off his apology. "It's nothing!" The two looked a little relieved, but the violin player in the corner of the room looked scared out of his mind and as if he was going to take his violin and run. Ayame and Mine had planned the entire date out….They set up the living room to look like a romantic setting (with fake candles of course). They hired a violin player (the poor man didn't know what he had agreed to do). They cooked a delicious meal for them and used Aya's not-so-fine china (after all, the fine china would have been broken in moments). Mine was their waitress.

"We'll just leave you two alone…" Mine said with a smile as she pulled Ayame back into the kitchen. "I think it's going rather nicely, don't you?" Ayame just smiled, waited for the violin music to play again and then counted, "5…4….3….2…1."

Right on cue, glass broke and Ritsu and Mii-chan (and possibly the violin player) started screaming. "IT'S OKAAAY!" "OH NOOO!"

Mine winced and whispered with a giggle, "I'll get it." Ayame looked out the window again, with a content smile on his lips. Yes, everything was exactly how it was meant to be.

A/N: Read the note at the top if you haven't already.

_Mabudachi trio: _Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure

_Sakura petals: _Cherry blossoms

"_I'm…I'm so sorry Aya-nii…."_: I think Ritsu calls Ayame "Aya-nii", but I'm not sure…

_The violin player in the corner of the room looked scared out of his mind and as if he was going to take his violin and run: _ I had to add a violin player. Just to scare him

_Mine: _pronounced "Me-nay", it really annoys me when people call her "Mine"


	3. Kagura

Title: A Look Into the Future  
Summary: A look into the possible future (10 years) of our favorite cursed family. Chapter 3: Kagura  
Rating: G  
Warnings: Possible manga spoilers (up to book 13)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. Enjoy!  
Note: If I continue this, each outcome will be different. For example, if you absolutely love Kyo/Tohru, but one chapter is Yuki/Tohru, swing by another time and there will probably be various pairings and such.  
You may have noticed I have the same general pairings in every chapter, such as Hiro/Kisa. That's just because I love that couple and can't think of anyone else to put them with….Feel free to request something!

XxXxX

_Dear Kagura-san,_

_I'm in love with my childhood friend, "Matt". However, "Matt" doesn't seem to return my feelings though we were once childhood sweethearts. There's a girl he just met, whom I think is very nice, but all the same, I'm jealous of her._

_I've expressed my feelings about him often enough, but he just keeps pushing me away. What should I do?_

_Hopelessly Devoted_

Kagura leaned back in her chair, contemplating "Hopelessly Devoted's" desperate letter. She smiled sadly, remembering how once she too had been in a similar situation, except much more complicated. After all, Kagura and her "Matt" were members of a cursed family and "Matt" was technically an outcast. Complications, right?

She glanced over to the large picture hanging on the wall in the hall outside of her office. It wasn't picture-perfect by any means, but it was the favorite of the Zodiac's. It had been taken outside in the woods during the spring, so everything was green and in blossom. In the very center was Tohru, beaming happily as if nothing could be better. To her left, was Yuki, smiling politely as if he was amused by it all. On Yuki's other side was little Kisa, looking up at Tohru smiling as well. Hatsuharu was next to Kisa with his usual neutral expression, giving a peace sign. Next to the ox was Hiro, glaring at no one in particular and on the very end was Momiji, poised in the air in the middle of a jump.

To Tohru's right was a disgruntled Kyo, standing with his arms crossed and scowling, partially because a beaming Kagura was leaning on him. Shigure and Ayame stood on either side of Hatori, each with one arm around the dragon and the other one extended in a thumbs-up sign. Both were winking at the camera and even Hatori smiled, just barely, in his own way.

It was a terrific picture, and reminded them all of the fun days. Before Kyo ran away when Akito was looking to confine him permanently. Kagura had cried the day they told her Kyo was gone, but she was happy for him. He was able to escape when the others didn't have the courage to.

When Kyo ran off, Kagura decided to do something with her life. To have a purpose, a cause for living. She had taken a psychology class in high school and loved it, so she choose to take some more in-depth ones at a local college. To make money for herself, she had started an email advice service, and with the help of Ayame's advertising expertise, more and more people flocked to it. Mostly women, mostly love problems, but Kagura loved dealing with problems like that. She took a job as an advice columnist for a local paper, using what she had learned in psychology to help her clients.

_Being a counselor doesn't hurt either. _She reflected, gazing at the filing cabinet of folders. She also took a counseling job, as the advice columnists didn't get paid much. Marriage counseling, and couple counseling were her primary topics, but she occasionally took in troubled teens as well. Her office was at home, but she tended to go to her client's home because it made them feel more comfortable if they were in a familiar environment. On top of the cabinet was a propped up photo of a young girl about eight years old with distinctive shoulder-length orange hair. Kagura smiled at the photo, recalling the memory of how she had found herself taking care of the young girl.

_The phone had rung shrilly, making her jump at the unexpected noise. "Hello and thank you for calling, this is Sohma Kagura." She had answered automatically, expecting a client. _

_"It's Hatori."_

_"Oh! Hatori-niisan I didn't expect you to call. Is something wrong?" On the other end of the line, she could hear him sigh._

_"How would you feel about--about raising a child?" _

_"A child? What do you mean?" At that point, Kagura had been quite lost. She couldn't be pregnant, that was impossible. She heard Hatori take a deep breath in before replying._

_"The Cat has been born." He had responded simply, waiting patiently for her to take that in. Kagura had dropped the phone, trembling. That meant that Kyo was…dead. Picking up the phone, she had redialed Hatori's number, as the connection had been lost when she dropped it. _

_"I'll—I'll do it." She had answered, her voice no more than a shaky whisper._

_"Her parents were informed about the Zodiac right after the birth and initial transformation." Hatori had filled her in as Kagura calmed herself down. "They didn't mind the cat so much, but they couldn't deal with the monster. I told them I would find someone to take care of their baby and they left after signing the papers authorizing us to take care of her." _

_"Her? It's a girl?" Kagura had exclaimed, standing up and smiling, for a moment forgetting Kyo. _

_"Yes."_

Since then, little Chiyo had lived with Kagura in her apartment on the outside. Kagura was determined to raise her like a normal child without the difficulties Kyo had faced growing up.

Chiyo reminded her of Kyo more every day. She was spunky, adventurous, stubborn, but she could also be caring and protective of others. However, she didn't fight with Yuki. She loved all of the other Zodiac members, especially Kagura, even the absent Kureno who she had only seen once.

"Kaa-chan?" Chiyo hovered by the doorway, using her nickname for Kagura that she had invented when she couldn't pronouce her 'g's properly. Kagura refused to let her call her 'mother' or 'mom'. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart."

"Who's that?" Little Chiyo pointed to the picture on the wall. Kagura was puzzled for a moment; after all, she knew everybody in that picture. Well, everybody except…

"Who honey?" Kagura came up beside the young girl in the hall and gazed at her beloved picture. It was a rather pointless question, but Kagura felt like she had to ask anyway. She hoped—prayed—that Chiyo just hadn't recognized a younger Hiro or perhaps Kisa.

"Him! The one who looks like me!" Chiyo jabbed her finger in the general direction of Kyo. Kagura was about to say, "He doesn't look like you," before she realized that not many Japanese people had orange hair.

Instead she replied as calmly as she could, "That's Kyo. Sohma Kyo."

"Oh." Chiyo brow furrowed in concentration. "He was the cat before me, wasn't he?" Kagura blinked and looked down at the little girl who wore an calm expression, unaware of Kagura's inner turmoil. Kagura scooped her up so she would be able to see the picture better and felt an odd sense of reality; Chiyo had always seemed so light and now she was getting bigger, it seemed, by the day.

"Yes, but how-how did you know that?"

"Shigure oji-chan said something about Kyo-kun the one time. But then Yun-chan made him be quiet." Chiyo said with a shrug. She had picked up Kagura's nickname for Yuki (Yun-chan) but Yuki didn't seem to mind. "You must have liked him a lot, right, Kaa-san?" She pointed to where Kagura stood beaming next to Kyo for emphasis.

"Yep. We always used to play together." Kagura answered, smiling fondly. She also sensed that Chiyo would want to hear stories about him so she added, "If you talk to Shishou, I'll bet he has tons of things he could tell you about Kyo-kun." Kazuma often baby-sitted for her and was quite attached to the young cat. Chiyo, of course, adored him as well.

"Yay!" Chiyo jumped down from Kagura's arms. She would be seeing Kazuma tomorrow; Kagura made a mental note to herself to give him a heads-up.

"Now, you go outside and play, alright? I've got some stuff I need to finish." Kagura told Chiyo, gently pushing her in the direction of the door to the backyard. Chiyo loved being outdoors more than anything thing else, unless it was raining.

"'Kay!" And without another word, Chiyo ran off, not bothering to put on any shoes as she flew out the door.

Kagura chuckled and smiled, hugging herself a little. Who'd have ever thought that she'd become a mother? But then again, who'd have thought Hatori would be a good father? After all, he was the one who took care of Momiji and Hatsuharu (and Ayame, but he didn't really count as a 'child') most of the time. Members of the Zodiac always assumed that they would not have offspring, partially because of the little complication that came with the curse, and partially because they didn't want anyone close to them to get hurt. But when they did, it was always a joy and pleasure.

Kagura sat back down at her computer, contemplating the letter from 'Hopelessly Devoted' on the screen. She glanced over at the Zodiac portrait (her usual source of inspiration) and noticed something she hadn't seen after all these years of looking at it.

Kyo _was_ smiling.

Leaning over her keyboard, she began typing out a response to not only the letter, but also to her own heart….

_Dear Hopelessly Devoted…_

A/N: I know a lot of you might say that Kagura was OOC, but my response to that would be: she grew up. Sorry for the cheesy advice column letter, romance is not my thing.  
-I'm sure I butchered any and all Japanese in this. Sorry 'bout that.  
-_Yun-chan_: What Kagura calls Yuki


End file.
